Here comes September, and I find myself curling into the brace position, breathing laboured, knuckles white.

I have found September tricky for a long time. Partly due to the anniversary of a traumatic time in my life, but also because of the change in pace. I love the leisurely stroll of summer, with time off work, holidays, trips to the beach and salad for tea. (And if we are fortunate, some sunshine!) I flourish in the slowness of it all. When summer slips into September, I feel a sense of loss, knowing that summer is gone for another year and the next one seems so far away.

Written by Kerry Robinson

Where are your feet? At the bottom of my legs I hear you say – probably thinking, what an earth am I about to read about?! Well, hear me out…

Written by Caitlin Russell – Carr:

This past week the Youth team have been on the Ermine estate in the North of Lincoln delivering HAF and other schemes. We’ve been able to connect with so many different young people, had some great conversations about healthy food and done so many exciting activities. The HAF sessions this week were about mangos, cherries and kiwis – who knew a kiwi vine could grow to be 8M tall? We’ve also had some great workshops take place this week. We’ve worked with Noise Academy to deliver a DJ workshop where our young people got to learn about mixing music and have to operate a mixing desk! We’ve also taken part in our very own sports day and golfing activities to get us in the olympic spirit.

Written by Bethan Lloyd:

As the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, we’re reminded of the incredible heights human beings can reach when they dedicate themselves to excellence. The athletes we see competing on the global stage embody years of rigorous training, unwavering determination, and an unyielding commitment to being their absolute best.

But excellence isn’t just for Olympians: it’s a principle that can—and should—guide us all, especially in the world of community transformation. 

Written by Emily Podbury:

When my 4 year old was tasked with making a scrapbook of his summer holidays I experienced a mix of reactions! Excitement, dread, creative ideas, and the overwhelming thought “what if the holidays are really boring?!” I imagined him showing off his scrapbook to his new class in September with his highlights paling in comparison to elaborate holidays abroad. Then I pulled myself together, reminding myself of a few truths:

Written by Simi Alabi

Has this question ever crossed your mind or is wellbeing a topic you’ve never bothered to explore? My intent today is to share my journey of discovering wellbeing and hopefully help you answer this question for yourself. 

We love fundraisers! Over the years we’ve had some wonderful people who have decided to do amazing things… and have take the opportunity to raise the profile of our work and raise some money!

To help you decide on your plans, here are some ideas and tips to kick-start your fundraising. 

Written by Naomi Butcher

I think we can all agree that stress impacts us all in many different ways, on a regular basis. As a result of stress impacting multiple areas of my life recently, I have been on a journey of understanding my stressors, why I respond the way I do and how I can minimise the impact of my stress. Working for Night Light Café has opened my eyes to just how important taking time for yourself is. By this, I don’t just mean taking half an hour to have a cup of tea – albeit wonderful when this happens! Taking time for yourself can be so much more, you can think of it as an investment! This time can be vital for enabling healthy habits and boundaries to minimise exposure to unhealthy stress. Investing in yourself can only be helpful for you and everyone around you.  

“Your trustee board is responsible for the governance of your charity and must run it in a way that complies with your charity’s governing document and the law.” The Charity Commission (2023)

Acts Trust is governed by a Board of Directors chosen from a variety of diverse backgrounds, with varying work experience and expertise. Each Director (Trustee) has  a specific portfolio which outlines the specific roles and functions they hold to assist the charity to deliver their objectives through the various projects. This article introduces each of the Directors giving details of what experience and skills they offer to Acts Trust, an outline of the portfolio of responsibility that they carry and why they have chosen to be a Director.

I wonder: what would be on your list of values you think a charity should uphold?

It may not be at the top of your list, but I think determination is a core value that keeps us moving forward. 

Here at Acts, Determination is one of our six values. We aim to approach everything with high energy and a positive attitude and channel our passions into positive action, focussing on solutions over problems. We have faith that greater things can be achieved than might seem possible and so we make decisions with confidence and boldness and ensure our commitment is thorough and reliable.